Can Sweet Sorghum and Sweetpotato Ethanol Contribute to Self-Sufficiency of Small Farms?

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) and sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) are promising crops for advanced biofuel production because they are better suited than corn (Zea mays L.) to low input production on small farms in the south. They can be considered advanced feedstocks only if lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions are less than 50% of basoline baseline emissions. Both sweet potato and sweet sorghum are multifunctional crops, with potential to simultaneously produce human food, animal feed, and biofuel feedstock. Kentucky State University is exploring the potential for organic production techniques and decentralized processing systems to reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions of energy produced from these crops at a range of small farm scales. In 2009 biointensive production - a garden-scale strategy relying entirely on human labor - gave the greatest return to energy investment among the farm scales tested. Tractor-based small farm systems gave an inferior energy return in 2009, but a superior return to human labor in 2008 and 2009. A farmer’s decision to dedicate a portion of small-scale organic crop yield to on-farm ethanol production might be justified as a means of promoting self-sufficiency, resource cycling, or use of waste products, but ethanol feedstock production would be a poor economic choice as a principal means of income for the small organic farmer

Can ethanol power the rural economy?

Rural areas ; Rural development

Bioenergy for Electricity Generation

Energy from biological materials addresses a number of key energy and environmental issues, including climate change, energy security, and replacement of carbon-intensive energy sources. This thesis assesses the feasibility of using three types of biological material for U.S. electricity generation: wood chips, biofuels, and organic waste. To evaluate economic feasibility, this paper examines system design, feedstock availability, and other advantages and disadvantages of alternative biological feedstocks. It also discusses three cost-benefit studies evaluating wood chips, biofuels, and waste-to-energy. This thesis recommends that the U.S. electricity sector consider investing in additional use of wood chips and organic waste and continue developing research for next-generation biofuel. Wood chips can cost less than heating oil. Municipal solid waste as a fuel could manage and reduce carbon. Although next-generation biofuels are more expensive in terms of capital and operating costs than conventional biofuel and fossil fuels, their use could mitigate food security and environmental concerns. All three technologies are used globally, proving technical feasibility. The availability of wood and waste in the U.S. offers another incentive for feedstock. Additional funding and research remain challenges for next-generation biofuel. Future research in bioenergy could include cost-benefit and carbon emission analyses that incorporate additional production pathways, comparisons to current renewable feedstocks, and recommended sites for the three technologies this paper addresses.Polymathic Scholar

Chemistry Matters Fall 2018

In this issue: Fall 2017 Sabbatical in Cambridge, UK/New Study Abroad Course in Chemistry/Students and Faculty Present at the 255th ACS National Meeting in New Orleans, March 2018/Exploring Biodiesel Chemistry in Multiple Lab Courseshttps://digitalcommons.otterbein.edu/chemmatters/1000/thumbnail.jp

EFFECT OF ETHANOL-GASOLINE MIXES ON PERFORMANCES IN LAST GENERATION SPARK-IGNITION ENGINES WITHIN THE SPARK-PLUG NO GROUND-ELECTRODES TYPE.

The objective of this research is to investigate the effect of ethanol-gasoline mixes on the performances of a four-stroke Spark-Ignition engine. Ethanol is observed as an alternative fuel for Spark-Ignition engines and is known for producing blends with gasoline. An experimental investigation was performed on the engine is a four-stroke cycle single-cylinder, engine volume of 124,8 cm3, port fuel injection, a compression ratio of 9,3:1 , and a Euro 3 large-size motorcycle fuelled with commercial gasoline with a Research Octane Number (RON) of 95 and gasoline/ethanol mixes G25, G35, and G45 (range of 25%, 35%, and 45%). The experiments were performed utilizing spark plug no ground-electrodes type, varied engine speeds of 4000-9000 rpm. Regulated and unregulated performances and fuel consumption were measured over the carrying out of chassis-dynamometer tests. The combustion analysis, actualized by taking the pressure cycle inside the cylinder, highlights the autoregulation of the engine control unit and guarantees utilize within the same parameters of various tested fuels, with the besides of fuel injection time, which escalates with increasing ethanol percentage. The maximum power, mean effective pressure and efficiency thermal values were obtained with an ethanol-gasoline mix (G45) the position with operated at 7000 rpm. A significant decrease in specific fuel consumption was observed using an ethanol-gasoline mix of G45 (45%

Renewable Energy and Sustainable Food Security in Nigeria

Renewable energy sources are becoming an increasingly important alternative source of energy in the agricultural sector. The use of renewable energy will reduce the use of fossil fuels, thereby minimizing the emission of green house gases. Increased use of renewable sources of energy especially in the agricultural sector will enhance the sustainability of food security in Nigeria and the quality of the environment. The use of renewable energy sources in the agricultural sector will also lead to environmentally friendly, sustainable and viable sources of energy to reduce the dependency on deplet­ing fossil fuels. Increasing attention is being focused on the installation and usage of renewable energy sources in the agricultural sector in several countries of the world purposely to contribute to global reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and sustainable food security. This paper attempt to explain the role of renewable energy sources in agricultural sector as a means of enhancing sustainable food security in the country and presents the existing technologies, policies  and emerging opportunities in renewable energy application in the agricultural sector. Keyword: Available incentive, Energy policy, Renewable energy, Sustainable food security

Bacanora and Sotol: So Far, So Close

El propósito de este trabajo es familiarizar al lector con algunos aspectos relacionados, no sólo con dos bebidas alcohólicas de profundo arraigo en la cultura rural del México norteño, sino también con Agave angustifolia, conocido en Sonora como “agave (o mezcal) bacanora”; y un grupo de especies del género Dasylirion, conocido en México como “sotoles”, y “desert spoon” o ¨cuchara del desierto¨ en los Estados Unidos de América. Ambas comparten múltiples características morfológicas, fisiológicas y ecológicas que les permiten vivir en ambientes áridos. De igual forma, también intenta señalar aspectos únicos de las dos denominaciones de origen que protegen la elaboración de esas bebidas y que han surgido en los albores de este siglo, así como a las normas que rigen su elaboración

Ethanol processing co-products: Economics, impacts, sustainability

The US corn-based fuel-ethanol industry is experiencing unprecedented growth. This industry has continually evolved and technological innovations and process changes have been implemented that have improved process efficiencies, but have also affected the resulting co-product streams. As a consequence, new questions, challenges, and opportunities for utilizing these residues have arisen. As the quantity of these materials continues to grow, it is vital that value-added uses for distillers grains continue to be developed